Humanity Part Two And Three
by vamphile
Summary: Faith, Angel, Buffy, Cordelia etc. The sequal to broken


Buffy awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. she looked at the clock, it was noon, she glanced for a moment at Angel's sleeping body and considered going back to sleep but she had too much to do for the wedding and besides, the dream had really rattled her this time. She knew Faith was still in jail, it didn't make the dreams any less skeevy.

Angel felt more than heard Buffy wake up. he glanced at her, breathing hard and a slight sheen of sweat over her body, and knew she'd had another nightmare. he controlled his breathing allowing her to think him still asleep while he considered his options. He could question her...again only to be told that it was nothing...again, or he could pretend he hadn't noticed and try to find out in causal conversation. Angel had tried the first option several times over the past week and it had gotten him nowhere, this time he decided to take the sneakier route. He continued to pretend to be asleep.

Buffy jumped in the shower, letting the warm water soothe her, it didn't work, she threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top and headed to the kitchen to make coffee, when she got to the bottom of the stairs she checked the living room to assure herself that Faith was not there. She laughed at herself for allowing such silliness, but still... Faith was not there. She made coffee

Angel sat up once he heard Buffy leave the room. He threw on a pair of black jeans and watched her tiptoe down the steps and glance around each corner as though she were waiting for something or someone to jump out at her. 

Buffy waited impatiently for the coffee to be ready and when it was, poured herself a cup. She turned around ready to carry it to the living room so that she could glance through some more bridal magazines before she started to make phone calls. She was startled by the sight of Angel, she hadn't heard him come downstairs. She dropped her coffee cup and the hot liquid pooled around her bare feet.

Angel didn't expect to startle her but what he expected even less was her reaction to a spilled cup of coffee. Buffy began to cry.

Angel reached out his arms to hold her and she fell into his embrace. He knew she had been stressed lately, the wedding, the plans, and the nightmares, she hadn't been sleeping, but this emotional outbreak was more than a simple case of being overwhelmed by plans, or stress, she was sobbing her body racked with the emotion she was pouring out. Angel held her tighter, wanting to take her pain into himself, wanting to help her, but he couldn't do any of this until she told him what the problem was.

He tried to soothe her, murmuring platitudes such as "It's gonna be okay" and "shhh shhh, It's all right" into her ear as he guided her over to the couch.

Buffy couldn't stop crying, the coffee cup, the coffee around her bare toes it was just like in her dream, Angel standing there in nothing but jeans (okay that happened a lot) but the other stuff, the coffee, the dreams coming several nights in a row. She was scared, things in her life had hit an upswing. Angel was human (gee she hadn't wished for that every day for as long as she'd known him). There didn't' seem to be a Big Bad in town at the moment, and most of all, three months ago Angel had proposed. These were all good things, and she was afraid they might go away, especially if here dreams were more than just nightmares but prophesies.

It felt good to cry into Angel's chest, and she knew that it wasn't productive but she allowed herself another moment of luxury before she pushed away from him and grabbed a tissue from the coffee table.

Angel: so, you gonna tell me what this is

Buffy: no big really just me being silly

Angel: yeah, you are such a silly little girl I've noticed that about you

Buffy: would you stop, okay, it's a dream thing

Angel: the same dream thing?

Buffy: {avoiding his gaze} no actually, this was a new one

Angel: Buffy, just tell me what's going on, you woke up from nightmare...again, it's the third time this week

Buffy: fourth but whose counting

Angel: I would say you are

Buffy: look it's just, she wiped her eyes again, It's nothing really, not a demon, well nothing but an inner one

Angel: I slay those too you know

Buffy: but, this is really just me being silly I know that

Angel: so you don't think It's a prophesy?

Buffy: no, It's a prophesy, but not a demony one

Angel: mmmm cryptic I love the smell of cryptic in the morning

Buffy: actually it's afternoon

Angel: lets try something new, I'll pretend I love you and care what happens to you, and you can pretend that you trust me.

Buffy: Angel, that's not fair, you know I trust you, I trust you with my life

Angel: but not with your dreams?

Buffy: Angel you are my dreams

Angel: that's really sweet, what are you dreaming about that has you so scared

Buffy: not gonna take the sappy bait huh?

Angel: no, I don't think I am. Now, how 'bout you try telling me 

Buffy: it's really nothing to worry over it's just that um, uh, Buffy began tearing the tissue in her hand to little tiny bits and judging from her concentration on the task it was both difficult and fascinating

Angel: it's just what? {he put his large hand over both of hers stopping the unwarranted destruction of a helpless tissue}

Buffy: Faith is coming

Buffy and Angel sat on Giles' couch as he cleaned his glasses and attempted to process this new information.

Giles: so just to ensure that I understand you correctly you have been having prophetic dreams regarding a large female green demon and Faith and have not seen fit to tell me.

Buffy: hello, Giles, miss the point much, first of all I don't dream about the demon, I dream I've dreamt about the demon, she's not a threat, she's like that cheese guy we all dreamt about after I killed Adam, just so much dream stuff in the dream, the part that worries me is Faith is always in my house.

Giles: yes well I could understand why that would be disconcerting but what makes you so sure that that is a part of the prophesy

Angel: the coffee mug

Gilesyes, and you are saying Buffy that this was exactly like your dream

Buffy: close enough

Giles: well let me around and make sure she is still in jail, other than that, at this point Buffy you really must relax, as there is not much else we can do.

Buffy:(frowning) nothing we can do?

Angel: look Buffy, lets just find out where ewe stand with her

Buffy: you're always taking her side

Angel: (aggravated) honey, I'm not taking anyone's side, I am just not sure that dropping a cup of coffee or dreaming about Faith this week marks the end of the world

Buffy: (mumbling) it's gonna be the end of MY world.

Angel put an arm around her shoulder, he understood her fear, but as concerned as he was for Buffy, he was also worried about the fate of Faith should she appear again in Sunnydale. she wasn't the most well liked of figures by most of the scoobies.

now that Cordelia was married to Xander she had twice the reason to hate Faith, and Wesley was likely less than fatherly in his concern for faiths well-being. Angel wasn't entirely sure Willow had gotten over faiths attempt to kill her. As Angel mentally ticked off how many people Faith had actually ticked off his head began to swim, Faith coming to town was a bad idea, for both Faith and Buffy. He was sure that any progress Faith might have made in the time she'd been in jail would be hard to maintain if she managed to come back to her old stamping grounds. Emotions ran high about Faith, and Faith was never one to just leave a bad situation alone, she had a tendency to exacerbate things.

Angel turned his attention to Buffy, realizing guiltily that he had been more concerned about how a reunion between the two slayers would affect Faith than he was with how it might affect Buffy.

the look on Buffy's Face brought him back to the moment.

Giles hung up the phone

they all stood silently, considering the implications of Faith's freedom, each focusing on a different catastrophic possibility and lost in thought when the doorbell rang. They all jumped at the sound.

Giles answered the door and was relieved to find Willow standing outside, and not a far less welcome contemporary of Buffy's

Giles: Willow, how are you?

Willow: I'm good, hey Buffy hi Angel

Buffy and Angel in unison:hi Willow

Willow had her share of difficulties in the past years, since Tara had run off with anya she and Xander had been close. Xander's relatively recent marriage to Cordelia took some getting used to on willows part, she felt alone and lonely a lot these days, and had considered leaving Sunnydale, finding someplace where her entire history wasn't so raw and such a matter of public record, but she knew in her heart that leaving Sunnydale wasn't really a viable option for her. She knew she wouldn't ever really feel safe in a town where she didn't know a slayer. Willow had thought about things like this a lot lately. Knowing what was out there, knowing the things that go bump in the night to be real, it made things different somehow, and well, she always felt safest knowing Buffy had her back.

Willow wasn't thinking about any of these things specifically at the moment, what she was thinking about was the page she had printed regarding a strange order on the websight. She wanted to check with Giles before she filled it.

She was about to ask him about it when she noticed the tangible tension in the room. She looked at Buffy's face, and noticed that Angel and Giles were wearing similar expressions of concern.

Willow: um, what is it?

Buffy: what's what? There's not an IT here, nothing,no big, really. Buffy had been through so much with Willow but now, Willow often seemed lost in a world of pain, the kind Buffy knew, but somehow Willow's was different, and Buffy lately had found herself trying to sheild Willow from the bad, and sometimes even from the good, she thought with a twinge of guilt.

Willow: right I am sure it is nothing, so what is it?

Buffy: No big, It's just a dream thingy, no big, I had a dream thingy, no big

Angel: would you stop saying no big

Willowso it's not a no big, I mean it's a big?

Willow felt that familiar ball in the pit of her stomach. She had first felt it when Jesse turned into a vampire, or no, maybe it was before that, once long ago before Buffy came to town, when she was almost attacked on her way home from Xander's. In retrospect it was a vampire, at the time, she just though it was a random violent crime kinda thing. But now, she was used to it, the lead ball in the pit of her stomach was as much a part of her as red hair and the scoobies. It didn't mean she liked it. Her face paled.

Buffy: no Willow not a big deal at all, it's just, well

Giles: it seems Faith is currently unaccounted for

Angel: and Buffy's been having dreams about her

Willow sat down.

Buffy glared daggers at Angel. His need to tell everyone that they were in terrible trouble was not always and asset.

Faith, is coming here, to Sunnydale, that's what you are telling me. Willow spoke quietly. Faith is on her way, here, to Sunnydale, so that she can kill us right, I mean, we can fight her, and maybe we'll kill her but she's gonna try to kill us, me, you, Angel, oh god, Wesley, and Xander, and Cordelia, do they know yet?

Buffy: Willow, you are officially wigging, We don't even know if she's coming here, all we know is that she isn't in jail

Willow: Buffy the last time you had prophetic dreams it was because there was a prophecy, and you have worried face, I can see it, and so does Giles, and well, Angel never shows expression but if possible he's a little broodier, why are you all trying to protect me?

Buffy didn't know how to answer that question, so she just walked over to give her friend a hug, hoping that whatever Faith brought to town didn't leave Willow more scarred than she already was.

Faith was fighting Angel, it was raining and she was tired, and yet she fought him with all she had, but he didn't fight back, he stood, stock still as only the undead can, not even breathing, fending off a Blow here or there but not once did he hit her, or go on the offensive. The rain poured down and she found herself tired, tired of fighting, tired of running, just bone weary, brain weary tired. She cried, she begged Angel to fight back, to kill her, and he didn't , she was so frustrated she staked him. Putting a wooden board through his heart. He gave her a look of understanding and compassion before he turned to dust.

Faith awoke from her dream and found tears on her cheeks. She was scared. She hadn't had this dream in years, not since she had first come to prison. And now for the fourth time this week she was dreaming that she had killed Angel again. 

Faith had adjusted to prison life, she rarely ate, rarely slept more than a few hours a night, and spoke to almost no one. She didn't fight anymore. A few inmates had picked fights with her at first, she had taken them down, and since then, no one bothered with her. And so Faith was left alone with her thoughts, there were a few anger management classes she was required to attend, and a therapy session about once a month, other than that she simply thought, and kept out of everyones way.

The dreams meant something though. She had given a lot of thought to what she had done, and what she had become, and lately had come to realize that it was her fault, all of it. There had only been one person, (even if he wasn't really human) who had understood her, and she had betrayed him.

Buffy had tried to understand but Buffy was good. Inherently good. Geneticly good. Congenitivly good. Terminaly good. Angel wasn't, Angel was bad, almost evil. He had been a man of few if any morals, then he lost his soul, even when he got it back, his main concern was the pain that causing others had caused him. It wasn't until he met the slayer that he had a chance to become something more. Angel understood what it was like to kill, to feel the pain of that, and yet, to kill again. Angel had saved Faith, as surely as if he'd knocked a gun away from her head, and now, she needed him again. For four years Faith had reflected on what she had done, who she had killed, and the buzz it had given her, and she knew that angels method of redemtion had to be more productive than this. Faith had plans, to go to New York, to stay there and to slay there, but before she did. She wanted, no, she needed to see An She Angel again. She needed to thank him, to tell him, and most of all to hear him forgive her, just once she wanted to be forgiven, out loud, for all that she had done to him, to his friends to Buffy to her friends to their world. Faith knew that without forviveness like that any redemtion she sought on the east coast would be empty.

Her decision made Faith lay on her back on her cot, waiting, and the next day, when heads were turned, she ran.

She jumped the wall and ran, kicking a few people who had gotten in her way, hoping not to kill anyone. Faith never looked back, she ran with the reserved strenght of a slayer, strength she hadn't used in a long time. She ran until the muscles in her legs burned, and then she kept running. She ran until her lungs felt as though they were on fire, and each breath caused pain. And when she finally collapsed, sheer exaustion causing her to stop before she died, 

Angel walked towards the majik shoppe reveling in the sunlight. It was a feeling he didn't think he'd ever get enough of. He needed to talk to Cordelia, he was concerned about her. Not the way he had been 18 months ago, but still, he knew something was wrong, and he could never seem to find time alone with her, either Buffy was pouting in a corner with thinly disguised jealousy, or Xander was there, no matter what, no one trusted them alone together. He was pondering this, and whether it was worth confronting Buffy about it ...again when he was broadsided and slammed into the bushes..

She pushed his attacker off of him and stood ready to fight, until he saw her swing around, brown/black hair longer than last time he had seen it, eyes just as hesitant and full of pain

Faith.

Angel

Faith fidgeted, staring at the ground, and then back into his eyes, and then at the ground again. "um hi"

Angel: You escaped?

Faith: It seemed like a good idea at the time (she smiled at him)

Angel: Faith, you have to go back, this cant happen, I wont let this happen.

Faith: let what happen? Angel, man, I am not here to hurt anyone, I'm all reformed and shit

Angel: and what do you expect me to say to that? 

Faith: I was thinking maybe you could believe me?

Angel: Faith what's going on, try being straight with me.

Faith: Angel I am being straight with you (did he hear pleading behind the indignance?) but we need to talk I need to talk to you, or well, I want to anyway, couldn't we um, I mean coffee?

Angel: Angel considered this for a moment and realized that in Sunnydale there was no place he could have coffee with Faith without it getting back to Buffy before the stuff was cool enough to drink

Angel looked at her, she didn't look good. Dirty, dark circles under her eyes, thinner than he remembered as well, and her eyes were pleading, if he left this up to the scoobies again they would scare her off and whatever hope she had, whatever hope they all had of being free of her threat, would be gone.

Angel: do you have any money?

Faith: I'm not here looking for a handout...or a payoff.

Angel: I know that, but we can't talk here, or now, listen go back to LA

(he pushed whatever bills he had at her) it was about two hundred dollars

Faith pushed the money back, you can't get rid of me, Angel, please. Besides, I'd be caught in LA and I don't want to have to um, run again

They both stood silent, he pulled her back further from the street and considered. If Faith didn't want to be caught then she wouldn't and anyone who tired to catch her would be hurt, or worse. he made a decision. 

Go to the mansion on Crawford, no one lives there, I still own it. Ill be there tonight sometime, keep the money, order a pizza, you look like you haven't eaten in a month

Tears filled Faith's eyes and she pulled a hood back up on her sweatshirt and headed off.

Faith, go

Faith wandered the back streets of Sunnydale, there weren't many of them and ducked into a the local Laundromat, grabbed a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts from a dryer and nonchalantly left, meandering her way towards Crawford street. She remembered Angel there, trying to tell her there was hope, it had been so long ago, but he had been right, there had been hope for him. She smiled ruefully to herself, he got exactly what he wanted.

Angel headed up to the apartment Xander and Cordelia shared above the majik shoppe, they were looking for something bigger, now that the baby was on the way, but they were both loathe to leave their first apartment, and Willow. Willow lived above them, and had become even quieter in the past few months, more withdrawn. Xander and Cordelia had spoken of it alone at night several times and neither was entirely sure that leaving her was a good idea. Angel knocked on their door.

Xander opened it, his face flushed, his shirt unbuttoned, and Angel smiled, leave it to him to interrupt Cordy and Xander and such an inopportune time, he felt no guilt though as he considered how many times he and Buffy had been interrupted from similar activities. He knew Xander had to open the shoppe soon, it was almost one PM, so Angel's plan was simply to wait until he left and see if he couldn't convince Cordelia to tear herself away from the inventory lists to talk to him. Cordelia appeared behind Xander at the door, her face lit up when she saw Angel.

"Angel, come on in"

Xander looked at her, and realizing that she had no intention of shooing her former boss away so that they might continue their previous activities shrugged and moved to the side, allowing Angel entrance to their place.

"You want some coffee?" Cordelia asked Angel hesitated, "it's okay Xander made it" she said, "oh well then yeah, a cup of coffee sounds good" Angel tried not o think about Faith wandering around Sunnydale alone, hopefully not killing anyone, tried not to second guess his instincts on her intentions, but he was worried, he took the mug of coffee from Cordelia distractedly and only came back to the present when Xander said goodbye gave Cordelia a peck on the cheek and walked downstairs to open the shoppe.

Cordelia took her own cup of coffee and curled her legs under her on the couch, took a sip and stared directly at Angel

Cordelia: "so, what's the matter?"

Angel: nothing at all, I just stopped by to see how you are doing

Cordelia: Angel, I'm doing fine now she said, I mean, except I'm getting fat

Angel cocked an eyebrow at her, her tall thin shapely frame had not changed in the six months of pregnancy, from the back one would never know she was pregnant and from the front most people guessed she was still in her first trimester. 

Cordelia laid a hand lovingly on her belly but looked up at Angel with a rueful glance.

Cordelia: why didn't you tell me I'd get fat

Angel: smiling, cause I knew you'd find some way around that part, and it looks like you have

Cordelia picked up a cracker from the wax paper wrapper on the table, well, morning sickness is a great weigh loss method...not she smiled

Angel smiled too, if she was joking like this things couldn't be too bad, surely she would tell him if they were.

Cordelia looked at Angel, he was smiling, which, although it took some getting used to at first, was nothing new, but behind the smile she sensed something. He was worried. 

Cordelia: Something wrong?

Angel: No, not really

Cordelia: Angel, come on, it's me, I think I can tell when something's wrong

Angel: Cordelia, it's really nothing

Cordelia: oh, good then it really shouldn't be a problem for you to tell me. She smiled, Angel she wheedled, it helps to talk about stuff, it's what ahem, humans do. She knew she could get him with the human thing.

Angel: Cordelia, he stood up running a hand through his hair, it's complicated, and if I tell you, well you have to promise, I mean absolutely promise not to tell anyone... not even Xander

Cordelia: are you and Buffy breaking up? Is it that big?

Angel: Buffy and I are fine, it has nothing to do with Buffy.

Cordelia just looked at him questioningly. It was a skill she had learned from Angel himself, just wait, eventually the story would be told

Angel watched her and knew what she was doing, hell he had perfecting the questioning stare, silent brooding method of interrogation, she wasn't gonna get him to talk about this, he was here to make sure she was okay, he knew what he was doing

He stopped. Did he really know what he was doing? Had he really considered what he might be risking by championing Faith? He wasn't sure.

He glanced again at Cordelia. "do you swear to keep this to yourself?" 

"absolutely, I wont tell a soul"

he sighed, "Faith is here, in Sunnydale."

Cordelia was silent, there was a time when she would have screamed or cried, or argued, but things in her life had changed and so much of it was due to Angel that she honestly had no response to his revelation. She saw the confusion in his eyes.

Cordelia: "what are you gonna do?"

Angel: "I don't know, Cordelia I know what you're thinking but we went over this once before...I can't just turn my back on her, I may be all she has left."

Cordelia considered this for a moment.

Cordelia: "you're right"

Angel: Cordelia you're not listening to me I can't just.... Wait, what?

Cordelia: You're right, there is if we are ever gonna get past all this stuff, all this...well, stuff we you have to help her. Angel you wanted to help her before you were human, now that you're all the way human I don't even pretend to think I could stop you.

Angel just looked at Cordelia, amazed at her growth

"of course" she said, "it could just be my hormones talking, cause there's a part of me that still wants to tell you to run, far and fast"

"but you'll help me?"

"but I'll help you."

Angel smiled, Cordelia, "thank you, and please, until I know what I'm gonna do..."

"yeah I know don' tell Xander, don't tell Buffy, and I'm guess sing Giles and Wesley are out of the loop too"

Angel hugged her then, and Cordelia leaned her head against he shoulders, reveling in the warmth of his chest that was still new to her. Cordelia, what am I gonna do?

"About what?" Buffy asked.

Angel and Cordelia both started, and moved away from each other, not making eye contact. 

Angel looked at Buffy guiltily. "about the plates."

She looked at him, right, about the china, you're hugging Cordelia about the china, fine, and with tears in her eyes she turned on her heel. "I'm going upstairs to talk to Willow, Angel, I'll see you at home?"

"Yeah I'll be home um, later."

Angel sat down and put his head in his hands. "great, that's just great"

Cordelia sat down next to him, putting her hand on her shoulder. Angel, let me help, you and Buffy will work things out, you always do, I know. I'm gonna head towards Crawford, that's where Faith is, just um, could you just... well, Cordy sit tight but I might need you to run some errands or something.

Angel, you know I'm your girl. Angel smiled and Xander standing outside the door turned and headed back down towards the shop. He had been hurt by Cordelia before but he wouldn't let it happen again, he would take what she was willing to give him, and if it wasn't everything that he wanted, well, he could settle for that, he really could.

Angel walked towards the majik shoppe reveling in the sunlight. It was a feeling he didn't think he'd ever get enough of. He needed to talk to Cordelia, he was concerned about her. Not the way he had been 18 months ago, but still, he knew something was wrong, and he could never seem to find time alone with her, either Buffy was pouting in a corner with thinly disguised jealousy, or Xander was there, no matter what, no one trusted them alone together. He was pondering this, and whether it was worth confronting Buffy about it ...again when he was broadsided and slammed into the bushes..

She pushed his attacker off of him and stood ready to fight, until he saw her swing around, brown/black hair longer than last time he had seen it, eyes just as hesitant and full of pain

Faith.

Angel

Faith fidgeted, staring at the ground, and then back into his eyes, and then at the ground again. "um hi"

Angel: You escaped?

Faith: It seemed like a good idea at the time (she smiled at him)

Angel: Faith, you have to go back, this cant happen, I wont let this happen.

Faith: let what happen? Angel, man, I am not here to hurt anyone, I'm all reformed and shit

Angel: and what do you expect me to say to that? 

Faith: I was thinking maybe you could believe me?

Angel: Faith what's going on, try being straight with me.

Faith: Angel I am being straight with you (did he hear pleading behind the indignance?) but we need to talk I need to talk to you, or well, I want to anyway, couldn't we um, I mean coffee?

Angel: Angel considered this for a moment and realized that in Sunnydale there was no place he could have coffee with Faith without it getting back to Buffy before the stuff was cool enough to drink

Angel looked at her, she didn't look good. Dirty, dark circles under her eyes, thinner than he remembered as well, and her eyes were pleading, if he left this up to the scoobies again they would scare her off and whatever hope she had, whatever hope they all had of being free of her threat, would be gone.

Angel: do you have any money?

Faith: I'm not here looking for a handout...or a payoff.

Angel: I know that, but we can't talk here, or now, listen go back to LA

(he pushed whatever bills he had at her) it was about two hundred dollars

Faith pushed the money back, you can't get rid of me, Angel, please. Besides, I'd be caught in LA and I don't want to have to um, run again

They both stood silent, he pulled her back further from the street and considered. If Faith didn't want to be caught then she wouldn't and anyone who tired to catch her would be hurt, or worse. he made a decision. 

Go to the mansion on Crawford, no one lives there, I still own it. Ill be there tonight sometime, keep the money, order a pizza, you look like you haven't eaten in a month

Tears filled Faith's eyes and she pulled a hood back up on her sweatshirt and headed off.

Faith, go

Faith wandered the back streets of Sunnydale, there weren't many of them and ducked into a the local Laundromat, grabbed a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts from a dryer and nonchalantly left, meandering her way towards Crawford street. She remembered Angel there, trying to tell her there was hope, it had been so long ago, but he had been right, there had been hope for him. She smiled ruefully to herself, he got exactly what he wanted.

Angel headed up to the apartment Xander and Cordelia shared above the majik shoppe, they were looking for something bigger, now that the baby was on the way, but they were both loathe to leave their first apartment, and Willow. Willow lived above them, and had become even quieter in the past few months, more withdrawn. Xander and Cordelia had spoken of it alone at night several times and neither was entirely sure that leaving her was a good idea. Angel knocked on their door.

Xander opened it, his face flushed, his shirt unbuttoned, and Angel smiled, leave it to him to interrupt Cordy and Xander and such an inopportune time, he felt no guilt though as he considered how many times he and Buffy had been interrupted from similar activities. He knew Xander had to open the shoppe soon, it was almost one PM, so Angel's plan was simply to wait until he left and see if he couldn't convince Cordelia to tear herself away from the inventory lists to talk to him. Cordelia appeared behind Xander at the door, her face lit up when she saw Angel.

"Angel, come on in"

Xander looked at her, and realizing that she had no intention of shooing her former boss away so that they might continue their previous activities shrugged and moved to the side, allowing Angel entrance to their place.

"You want some coffee?" Cordelia asked Angel hesitated, "it's okay Xander made it" she said, "oh well then yeah, a cup of coffee sounds good" Angel tried not o think about Faith wandering around Sunnydale alone, hopefully not killing anyone, tried not to second guess his instincts on her intentions, but he was worried, he took the mug of coffee from Cordelia distractedly and only came back to the present when Xander said goodbye gave Cordelia a peck on the cheek and walked downstairs to open the shoppe.

Cordelia took her own cup of coffee and curled her legs under her on the couch, took a sip and stared directly at Angel

Cordelia: "so, what's the matter?"

Angel: nothing at all, I just stopped by to see how you are doing

Cordelia: Angel, I'm doing fine now she said, I mean, except I'm getting fat

Angel cocked an eyebrow at her, her tall thin shapely frame had not changed in the six months of pregnancy, from the back one would never know she was pregnant and from the front most people guessed she was still in her first trimester. 

Cordelia laid a hand lovingly on her belly but looked up at Angel with a rueful glance.

Cordelia: why didn't you tell me I'd get fat

Angel: smiling, cause I knew you'd find some way around that part, and it looks like you have

Cordelia picked up a cracker from the wax paper wrapper on the table, well, morning sickness is a great weigh loss method...not she smiled

Angel smiled too, if she was joking like this things couldn't be too bad, surely she would tell him if they were.

Cordelia looked at Angel, he was smiling, which, although it took some getting used to at first, was nothing new, but behind the smile she sensed something. He was worried. 

Cordelia: Something wrong?

Angel: No, not really

Cordelia: Angel, come on, it's me, I think I can tell when something's wrong

Angel: Cordelia, it's really nothing

Cordelia: oh, good then it really shouldn't be a problem for you to tell me. She smiled, Angel she wheedled, it helps to talk about stuff, it's what ahem, humans do. She knew she could get him with the human thing.

Angel: Cordelia, he stood up running a hand through his hair, it's complicated, and if I tell you, well you have to promise, I mean absolutely promise not to tell anyone... not even Xander

Cordelia: are you and Buffy breaking up? Is it that big?

Angel: Buffy and I are fine, it has nothing to do with Buffy.

Cordelia just looked at him questioningly. It was a skill she had learned from Angel himself, just wait, eventually the story would be told

Angel watched her and knew what she was doing, hell he had perfecting the questioning stare, silent brooding method of interrogation, she wasn't gonna get him to talk about this, he was here to make sure she was okay, he knew what he was doing

He stopped. Did he really know what he was doing? Had he really considered what he might be risking by championing Faith? He wasn't sure.

He glanced again at Cordelia. "do you swear to keep this to yourself?" 

"absolutely, I wont tell a soul"

he sighed, "Faith is here, in Sunnydale."

Cordelia was silent, there was a time when she would have screamed or cried, or argued, but things in her life had changed and so much of it was due to Angel that she honestly had no response to his revelation. She saw the confusion in his eyes.

Cordelia: "what are you gonna do?"

Angel: "I don't know, Cordelia I know what you're thinking but we went over this once before...I can't just turn my back on her, I may be all she has left."

Cordelia considered this for a moment.

Cordelia: "you're right"

Angel: Cordelia you're not listening to me I can't just.... Wait, what?

Cordelia: You're right, there is if we are ever gonna get past all this stuff, all this...well, stuff we you have to help her. Angel you wanted to help her before you were human, now that you're all the way human I don't even pretend to think I could stop you.

Angel just looked at Cordelia, amazed at her growth

"of course" she said, "it could just be my hormones talking, cause there's a part of me that still wants to tell you to run, far and fast"

"but you'll help me?"

"but I'll help you."

Angel smiled, Cordelia, "thank you, and please, until I know what I'm gonna do..."

"yeah I know don' tell Xander, don't tell Buffy, and I'm guess sing Giles and Wesley are out of the loop too"

Angel hugged her then, and Cordelia leaned her head against he shoulders, reveling in the warmth of his chest that was still new to her. Cordelia, what am I gonna do?

"About what?" Buffy asked.

Angel and Cordelia both started, and moved away from each other, not making eye contact. 

Angel looked at Buffy guiltily. "about the plates."

She looked at him, right, about the china, you're hugging Cordelia about the china, fine, and with tears in her eyes she turned on her heel. "I'm going upstairs to talk to Willow, Angel, I'll see you at home?"

"Yeah I'll be home um, later."

Angel sat down and put his head in his hands. "great, that's just great"

Cordelia sat down next to him, putting her hand on her shoulder. Angel, let me help, you and Buffy will work things out, you always do, I know. I'm gonna head towards Crawford, that's where Faith is, just um, could you just... well, Cordy sit tight but I might need you to run some errands or something.

Angel, you know I'm your girl. Angel smiled and Xander standing outside the door turned and headed back down towards the shop. He had been hurt by Cordelia before but he wouldn't let it happen again, he would take what she was willing to give him, and if it wasn't everything that he wanted, well, he could settle for that, he really could.

The End Part Two and Three 

Feedback Please… I both crave and need it/


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